It’s hard not to get jaded about what we as journalists do sometimes. For every heartwarming and unique story we have the privilege of covering, there are dozens of instances of townsfolk butting heads, “politics as usual” discussions and any number of other stories that make us collectively shrug our shoulders and say, “What can you do?”
But with as much earnestness as we can muster, this week marked one of the annual occurrences that puts Dutchess County on the map. Our county fair, easily the biggest in the state, is being held through Sunday in Rhinebeck, and despite some rainy weather at its outset, the forecast hinted at clearing up in time for a promising weekend.
As summer fairs go, the Dutchess County Fair is no ragtag operation. This year marks its 162nd edition, and the gathering draws more than 400,000 in attendance each August. Of course, no single element of the fair is the ultimate drawing card – some people come each year for the food, while others return to get swept up in the farming spirit, if only for a week. Still others might come strictly because of a sense of tradition – if it’s been around for 162 years, it must be worth checking out, right?
And it’s that sense of tradition that truly makes the fair what it is – a chance for families who have attended for years to get together under the summer sun and visit again, to see some of the same people who have been farming and raising animals in the area for generations to showcase the fruits of their labor, and to taste the familiar flavors – the milkshakes, the fried foods, the burgers and farm-fresh produce. For all the questions raised in this week’s front page story about the fair – including its management by the Dutchess County Agricultural Society, its annual income and relationship with the community, none of which are light topics – one need only watch the smiling faces stream through the gates each day to realize that the fair is the ultimate in diversions. In an world increasingly bent on progress and change, the fair, in one sense, remains very much as it was 50 years ago.
To those in the area, it’s the last hurrah of summer, before the time demands of school, fall weather and the million other annoyances that threaten to swallow our lives do just that. The reason that the Dutchess County Fair has lasted for generations is that there’s something timeless about the spirit of community it creates – even if we aren’t all farmers anymore (and you don’t need to be told that most us aren’t), the fair brings together a cross-section of people year after year who all, whether they know it or not, share a common interest. That interest, preserving some small part of the character of our communities, gives the fair plenty of importance without even knowing how large it is. Its value – to children, families and people throughout the county – is enough to make it one of our most cherished institutions.
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